Donor dependency and pandemic readiness
Insights from the 2026 Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the East African community
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22433477 |
|---|---|
| Authors | John Mugisha (0000-0001-5874-895X, Systems Research Institute, corresponding author), Julius Niyibizi (Southern Medical University, corresponding author), Emmanuel Nizeyimana (Systems Research Institute), Munawar Harun Koray (0000-0003-2764-4829, Southern Medical University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1891266 |
| OpenAlex | W7168355501 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 57 |
The 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak has exposed persistent weaknesses in health-security preparedness across the East African Community (EAC). Although regional preparedness has improved, major gaps remain in early detection, cross-border collaboration and surveillance, laboratory capacity, infection prevention and control, and community engagement. These vulnerabilities have been intensified by declining external health-security funding since 2025, incomplete implementation of domestic health-financing commitments, and the fragility of systems that were built with substantial donor support but not fully institutionalized. Drawing on the current outbreak and the extensive experience with Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), this Perspective argues that the outbreak should be understood not only as an infectious-disease emergency but also as a stress test for donor-supported preparedness systems. It calls for phased transitions from donor-supported functions toward sustained domestic and regional financing, permanent cross-border surveillance, strengthened peripheral laboratory capacity, institutionalized community-based preparedness, and outbreak-ready clinical research platforms.
Democracy · Disease · Ebola virus · Outbreak · Pandemic · Preparedness · Global Health and Surgery · Mosquito-borne diseases and control · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
Community-Centered Responses to Ebola in Urban Liberia
Looming threat of Covid-19 infection in Africa
Health security capacities in the context of Covid-19 outbreak
Diagnostics of Ebola virus
The Pandemic Treaty, the Pandemic Fund, and the Global Commons
Cross border population movements across three East African states
U.S. withdrawal from WHO and aid programs
Financing pandemic prevention, preparedness and response
Spatial and temporal distribution of infectious disease epidemics, disasters and other potential public health emergencies in the World Health Organisation Africa region, 2016–2018
Lessons from the Ebola Outbreak
Making development assistance work for Africa
The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network
Impact of infection prevention and control training on health facilities during the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Guinea
Contribution of the one health approach to strengthening health security in Uganda
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |